Uganda, 1996

It is a pleasure and an

honour for me to address this Assembly. From this lofty

rostrum, the nations of the world speak to one another as

members of one global community, irrespective of size

and differences. The United Nations is today the best

hope for a better future for humankind. What we do here

must therefore contribute positively and effectively

towards the achievement of the noble purposes and

principles enshrined in the Charter of our Organization.

Permit me, Sir, on behalf of the delegation of

Uganda, to express how pleased we are at your election

to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-first

session. Your well-deserved election is a great honour to

your country, Malaysia, with which Uganda enjoys very

cordial bilateral relations. I wish to pledge our full

support to you, Sir, and to affirm our confidence in your

ability to guide our deliberations to a successful

conclusion. Allow me also to pay a special tribute to your

predecessor, Ambassador Diogo Freitas do Amaral of

Portugal, for the able manner in which he presided over

the work of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly.

I salute our Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-

Ghali, for his commitment and dedication to the global

mission of the United Nations during the past five years.

The United Nations continues to be confronted with

the challenge of redressing the development disparities

that exist among nations, particularly between the few

rich countries and the majority of impoverished ones. For

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the latter, these disparities are manifest in widespread

poverty and the degradation of their ecosystems. They are

also a major cause of the spiral of violence and internal

conflicts, with their attendant suffering and destruction.

In an increasingly interdependent world, these

problems have regional as well as global consequences. It

would therefore be wishful thinking to treat them as if they

were a concern of only the affected countries and regions.

They must be addressed through global approaches and

strategies that ensure lasting solutions.

We note that present advances in transport,

communications and information technology have resulted

in the increasing globalization of the world economy. Both

liberalization and globalization offer opportunities as well

as challenges within and among nations. These twin

phenomena have, in addition, deepened the marginalization

of some regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This

process could breed further polarization within countries,

with very destructive and destabilizing consequences. We

wish to underscore the continuing relevance of

multilateralism and international cooperation as

prerequisites for equitable global growth and development

and for addressing the negative consequences of

globalization.

The increasing trend towards unfair trading practices

and conflicts in international trade is a matter of serious

concern for us. We are witnessing situations in which

developing countries are pushed to open up their markets,

ostensibly to advance free trade and competition, while at

the same time developed countries practice managed trade

and limit access to some export products from developing

countries. This contradiction is unhealthy for the world

economy.

The establishment of the World Trade Organization

(WTO) in 1994 as an entity to act as a custodian and

guarantor of a rules-based multilateral trading system is a

positive development. We therefore welcome the convening

of the first Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade

Organization in Singapore in December 1996. The Meeting

should, in our opinion, give a clear policy direction to the

WTO for the next two years on measures to redress

imbalances existing in the present multilateral trading

system, which are to the disadvantage of many developing

countries, particularly the least developed ones.

The Meeting should therefore give high priority to

undertaking a comprehensive review of the implementation

of the Uruguay Round agreements, with a view to

adopting specific and concrete measures to obviate

adverse effects to the least developed countries and net

food-importing developing countries arising from the

implementation of the agreements; reverse the

marginalization of the least developed countries; and

strengthen their capacity to compete in the global

economy. These measures must include long-term

financial and technical support, the transfer of technology

as critical elements for the effective implementation of the

Uruguay agreements and in the improvement of the trade

performance of developing countries.

With regard to the proposal that the Meeting address

issues outside the WTO built-in agenda, we would prefer

to benefit first from the analytical advice of the United

Nations Conference on Trade and Development on the

policy implications of such issues to international trade

before they are taken up by the WTO. In our view, the

Meeting should focus on issues relating to the full

implementation of agreed commitments, such as the

provision of financial, technical and technological support

to developing countries, as well as those aimed at

stemming and reversing the distortive factors to trade.

The increasing role of transnational corporations in

the international trade in goods and services and in the

flow of private capital has inordinately enhanced their

control over resources and the transfer of technology and

know-how in developing countries. In some cases, this

control is beyond the capacity of many developing

countries to check. As the influence of these corporations

grows with globalization, there is an urgent need to

elaborate and adopt an effective and legally-binding

international code of conduct to regulate the activities and

influence of transnational corporations.

We are committed to subregional and regional

cooperation and integration. Within the East African

subregion, we have participated actively in the revival of

East African cooperation, in the strengthening of the

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and in

intensifying efforts to make operational the Abuja Treaty

establishing the African Economic Community. It is our

belief that enhanced subregional and regional cooperation

and integration are critical to complement South-South

cooperation and international cooperation for

development. It is also a means of enhancing

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competitiveness and thereby improving our performance in

the world economy. In efforts to further strengthen

cooperation in East Africa, we propose the establishment of

a cooperation arrangement between the East African

Community and the United Nations. We appeal to the

international community to support these efforts.

The magnitude of debt and its servicing obligations

continues to impose a serious obstacle to our development

efforts. As of March 1996, for example, Uganda’s total

external indebtedness stood at $3.2 billion — which

represented 67.5 per cent of its gross domestic product —

of which 75 per cent was owed to multilateral financial

institutions. Debt-servicing was $141 million, or 27 per cent

of export earnings. Projected debt-servicing for the 1996-

1997 fiscal year is $184 million, or 35.8 per cent of export

earnings. This precarious situation is compounded by the

current rigorous debt-repayment enforcement regime

pursued by creditor multilateral financial institutions.

Uganda is committed to fulfilling its debt obligations

within the means available to it. In this regard, a

multilateral debt fund has been established to offset the debt

owed to the International Development Association, the

International Monetary Fund and the African Development

Bank’s African Development Fund. We are grateful to all

bilateral donors who have continued to support and make

direct contributions to the fund. We also appeal to other

donors to join in this worthy endeavour in order to augment

the resources of the fund, which are still very low.

To complement these efforts, we make a special

appeal to the international community, and particularly to

the multilateral financial institutions, to adopt concrete

measures to effect a drastic reduction of external

indebtedness of least developed countries and other severely

indebted developing countries. In this regard, we commend

as a first step the debt relief initiatives currently in place,

such as the Naples Terms. In our view, however, these

measures remain grossly inadequate to have any meaningful

impact. There is therefore a need to augment them with

additional measures that substantially reduce all types of

debts, including those which entail debt write-offs or

converting part or all of our debt into grants.

We note with appreciation the recent measures by the

Bretton Woods institutions to put in place measures for debt

relief. We urge the dominant shareholders to support these

measures.

African countries, including Uganda, continue to be

adversely affected by record-low levels of export

commodity earnings. The situation is aggravated by tariff

and non-tariff barriers imposed by our trading partners on

our semi-processed and processed export products and by

declining terms of trade due to increased prices of

imported manufactured goods and services. We urge the

adoption of concrete support measures to improve our

export earnings. This could include assistance in the areas

of horizontal and vertical diversification of our

economies, as well as capacity-building.

Today is World Habitat Day. It is a day for the

international community to reflect on and reaffirm its

commitment to the plight of the one billion people in all

parts of the world who lack adequate shelter and basic

services, such as safe water supplies and sanitation

facilities. It is also a day to dedicate ourselves to the

objective of finding lasting solutions to the problems of

homelessness and other social ills associated with rapid

urbanization.

The maintenance of international peace and security

remains a formidable challenge for the United Nations.

Efforts in this regard continue to be undermined by

conflicts and tensions arising from inadequate political

leadership that cannot correctly handle ethnic, religious

and social differences in those affected areas. These have

undermined the rule of law, peace and security, and have

contributed to untold suffering in many of the affected

countries.

In Africa, civil strife and internal conflicts, with their

attendant consequences, are afflicting several countries to

varying degrees. For instance, we are gravely concerned

by the suffering imposed on the people of northern

Uganda by renegade groups. These terrorist acts must be

stopped forthwith for the sake of peace and security in

our subregion.

The conflict in Burundi is a serious threat to the

peace and security of that country as well as to the

subregion. Uganda appeals to all the parties concerned to

accept the mediation efforts of former President Julius

Nyerere, which are aimed at achieving a peaceful political

solution to the conflict through compromise and

accommodation in the context of the Arusha initiative and

peace process.

In this regard, Uganda urges all the parties

concerned to resume, as a matter of urgency,

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unconditional political negotiations in order to establish

peace and security for all Burundians. We are committed to

working closely with other countries in the subregion to

find a lasting political solution to the problems of Burundi

through dialogue and national reconciliation.

The steps taken by the Government of Rwanda

towards the restoration of normalcy and achieving national

reconciliation are steps in the right direction. These steps

should be encouraged and supported, as they provide a

basis for restoring mutual confidence and trust, which are

critical for a peaceful return and reintegration of Rwandese

refugees from neighbouring countries.

We are concerned about the chaotic situation in

Somalia and call for the reinvigoration of the Organization

of African Unity (OAU) peace efforts.

Common sense must prevail among the warring

factions in Liberia so that the people of that unhappy

country may be given a chance to enjoy peace, security and

national reconciliation. We welcome the efforts of the

Economic Community of West African States in this

connection.

With regard to Angola, we note that the

implementation of the Lusaka Protocol is under way. We

encourage both parties to stay the course.

The efforts of the OAU and the Yamoussoukrou

mediation efforts of President Bédié of Côte d’Ivoire to

seek a peaceful solution to the conflict in Sierra Leone

should be encouraged.

Uganda supports the just struggle of the Sahraoui

people for self-determination. To this end, we urge the

speedy resolution of the conflict in Western Sahara, in

accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Security

Council and the General Assembly.

Uganda supports the efforts of the United Nations and

the appropriate regional organizations to diffuse conflicts

through preventive diplomacy, as well as through the

mechanisms of peacekeeping and peacemaking, including

dialogue and confidence-building. In this regard, we

reaffirm our support for the OAU Mechanism for Conflict

Prevention, Management and Resolution, as well as for its

Central Organ. The Mechanism and the Central Organ

should be supported and provided with the necessary

resources to enable them to operate effectively.

The idea of encouraging African Member States to

put in place contingent arrangements for deployment in

situations requiring peacekeeping or military observer

missions in Africa has merit and deserves support. At the

same time, humanitarian programmes with built-in

mechanisms that address the continuum from emergency

relief to rehabilitation, recovery and long-term

development are essential to restoring lasting peace.

We welcome the adoption of the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. However, we urge the nuclear-

weapon States to seize this opportunity to commit

themselves to adopting concrete time- frames for the total

elimination of all nuclear weapons, as well as to stopping

the qualitative development and refinement of nuclear

arsenals, including through computer simulation.

Most African countries have embraced and are

vigorously pursuing far-reaching political and economic

reforms. In Uganda, we have implemented fundamental

economic reforms consistent with our development

priorities and strategies and the structural adjustment

programmes of the Bretton Woods institutions. We have

liberalized trade and created the necessary conditions for

encouraging and promoting both domestic and foreign

direct investment. We have improved our economic

management systems, with strong emphasis on fiscal and

monetary discipline. We have endeavoured to integrate

and implement the outcome of the major international

conferences into our national development plans and

priorities.

However, in order to nurture these positive

developments and improve the well-being of our citizens,

we need concerted cooperation and support from the

international community by ensuring, among others, a

favourable external economic environment.

I am glad to state that Uganda is a nation restored

both politically and economically. Allow me to outline

briefly the measures that have been taken and which are

responsible for peace, security and the other positive

changes that prevail in Uganda today. These positive

changes are the result of a policy of reconciliation. For

us, reconciliation itself is a means to an end, the end

being national unity.

In pursuance of this objective, we instituted from the

very beginning the principle of a broad-based Government

which accommodated all shades of political opinion and

ideologies. The pillar of the democratization process is

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the nationwide political participation in decision-making at

all levels, which has empowered people to take charge of

their own governance.

Uganda remains committed to the protection and

promotion of human rights. A Human Rights Commission

has been established to oversee the observance of human

rights in Uganda. The Commission is complemented by a

national human rights unit in the Ministry of Justice and

similar units will be established in the near future at the

district level. We have ensured that the promotion of human

rights includes a component to redress the inequality of

opportunities through affirmative action in favour of

disadvantaged groups such as women, youths and the

disabled.

In this regard, the 1995 Constitution of Uganda

provides for special representation in Parliament for these

groups. We appreciate the support extended to us so far in

this area and welcome further technical and financial

support, especially towards the review and finalization of

appropriate legislation and the strengthening of relevant

human rights entities at various levels.

Last year, a new Constitution was promulgated after

more than a year of intense debate by a Constituent

Assembly of directly-elected members. On 9 May 1996, the

first-ever free and fair presidential elections were held,

followed by parliamentary elections on 27 June 1996.

Today, Uganda has its first-ever directly-elected President

since independence in 1962.

In Uganda, we share the view that decentralization is

a necessary condition for good governance and

empowerment because democracy cannot thrive unless

space is given for civil society to operate. In pursuance of

this, political decentralization is not only enshrined in the

Constitution, but is already being implemented. Such a

transfer of power to the districts and other lower tiers has

removed the remoteness of government and ensured a

speedier delivery of goods and services to the people.

Years of war and economic mismanagement have left

Uganda with a shattered economy. The present

administration has continued to make steady progress in

restoring the economy under the framework of the

Economic Reform Programme. Inflation has been

successfully controlled since June 1992 at the level of 5.6

per cent, on average. At the same time, Uganda has enjoyed

a high average rate of economic growth of 8.1 per cent due

to macroeconomic stability and strict monetary policies.

In order to attract investments, an Investment Code

was instituted to ensure a friendly and conducive

investment environment. The Uganda Investment

Authority was established as a one-stop centre for

information.

Uganda commends various initiatives taken by the

United Nations to eradicate poverty. Special mention

should be made of the World Social Summit, the United

Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in

the 1990s and the United Nations System-wide Special

Initiative for Africa. We commend this spirit of

international partnership aimed at addressing persistent

poverty in our region. For its part, the Government of

Uganda has embarked on the long road of addressing the

problem by ensuring that the fruits of economic growth

reach the masses of the population. Among the strategies

in place is an Action Plan for the Eradication of Poverty

with a Poverty Task Force as its implementing agency. In

the short and medium terms, the Action Plan focuses on

increasing household income, primary education and road

infrastructure. The political and economic achievements

registered so far prove that a serious, visionary and

committed Government can lead donor conditionalities

rather than be led by them.

We have just concluded the mid-term review of the

implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for

the Development of Africa in the 1990s. For the

satisfactory outcome of the meeting, we wish to thank

most profoundly the Government of Japan and all

delegations which participated actively in this exercise.

One of the fundamental conclusions of the review is that

a lot remains to be done to consolidate the modest

political and socio-economic progress that has been

achieved in some parts of the African continent. This will

require the mobilization of substantial new and additional

resources and, in particular, the provision of a conducive

external economic environment. The review also

demonstrated that a partnership based on shared

responsibility and mutuality of interest is possible and

inevitable.

The United Nations remains a custodian of many

cherished ideals, such as the primacy of democratic

governance. The United Nations was born out of a

yearning for a democratic multilateral system capable of

addressing problems brought about by hideous tensions

13

and conflicts throughout the world, with a view to making

planet Earth a more secure, just and friendly place for

present and future generations. We all agree on the need to

strengthen the United Nations so that it can carry out its

global mandate effectively. We should therefore provide it

with adequate resources. This commitment, invariably, calls

upon each Member State to meet its financial obligations to

the organization in full, on time and without conditions.

Within the context of strengthening the Organization,

measures should be adopted to achieve its democratization

at all levels. Since there is a worldwide trend towards

democratization, this Organization cannot remain unaffected

by these winds of change. Uganda therefore supports

proposals to restructure the Security Council in order to

bring transparency to its working methods, democracy to its

decision-making procedures and equity to reflect the

increased membership of the United Nations.

The United Nations remains, in our view, the

appropriate central forum for addressing global problems

confronting the international community. It must be

strengthened, revitalized and democratized. This is the

challenge that we the peoples of the United Nations must

address as a matter of priority.